visiting Sandy

My friend, Sandy, lived in Florida when I first met her. We were room-mates at Grand Canyon-North Rim in 2009. Last summer she moved to Colorado, to a small town west of Colorado Springs. A few days ago I drove down from Greeley to visit. Her house is in a Ponderosa Pine - Aspen forest. The horse, Poncho, roams the yard at will, as do the cat and a small dog. The common squirrel in this area is a totally black Abert's Squirrel.
Yesterday morning I walked to the end of her road, and to the end of another short road. Bird list was: Mountain Chickadees, Grey-headed Juncos, Pygmy Nuthatches, Stellar's Jays, Robins, a Brown Creeper, Red-shafted Flickers, and a flock of Red Crossbills in the top of a Pine. That was exciting !! I haven't seen Red Crossbills in 4 years.
This afternoon Sandy and I drove east about 20 miles to Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Anasazi people did not live in this immediate area. The dwellings were constructed in the early 1900's as a tourist attraction using ancient stones from other collapsed Puebloan structures. Visitors are allowed to wander thru the rooms, climb up to the balcony, and take photos. For many years a summer event presented Native American dancers performing in a plaza.
......Photo of a Red Crossbill from Internet, not my photo. Photo of the reconstructed cliff dwellings is one I took this afternoon.